I am pretty sure Republicans would be fine with abortion if a gun were involved

HELEN:

Margaret, within minutes of the President saying that he would be accused of politicizing this latest shooting, right on schedule Fox News accused him of politicizing it. I swear the yahoos over at that network could start an argument all alone in an empty room.

How many times does a President have to go on television to ask for our prayers and our thoughts before our elected officials decide to pass sensible gun laws? Why in the world do we think it should be easier and less expensive to get guns than it is to get mental health treatment?

Crazy people fire guns at will these days and politicians have nothing to say except our thoughts and prayers are with the victims. But a women makes the private decision to end an unwanted or unhealthy pregnancy and those same politicians cry murder and pass laws faster than a hot knife through butter.

It occurs to me that if Planned Parenthood would just shoot the fetus with a gun maybe the Republicans would let women have control over their own bodies. Now I know how awful that sounds, but it’s no crazier than all those NRA-card-carrying idiots who are now warning the government to keep their hands off our guns while just a few days ago they pulled Cecile Richards into a hearing to talk about the government getting its hands on a women’s uterus.

The hypocrisy of their actions is as appalling as what I just wrote. Then again, I’m not an elected official.

If they cared so much about life, they’d work as hard to get rid of guns as they do to get rid of Planned Parenthood. But I fear the only life they care about is the one that will vote for them during the next election. Sadly, I mean that. Really.

MARGARET:

Helen, dear, either you have fallen and hit your head again or you’re just still upset by this season’s Dancing with the Stars cast. Either way, I can tell that you are all fired up once again. Heaven help those in your line of fire, dear.

Responses

COBLU, right on! Many decades ago I believe it was journalist Mary McGrory who told a Capitol Hill hearing that if a woman’s right to her own body and reproduction was Constitutionally denied her, then all the snipping clinics frequented by men would have to close down as well! There was gasping all around and try as they might, the committee hearing members really couldn’t get around that. Their agenda for the rest of the hearing was ruined.

I love it, Helen. Truly spot on in every way. Sadly the gun lobby is so powerful that Baggers are terrified to take them on and do what is right. That is the Tea Party……afraid to have a brain, afraid to fight their handlers (Kochs) and do what is right.
How many thoughts and prayers does it take to make a change ??

It is like everything else they are against, until it happens to them it doesn’t matter. They have ways around everything including abortion. They yell about it, but if one of their daughters was in need of such a thing you know they would find a covert way of doing it. Money can buy them whatever they want.

Line the Bagger men up and do public, mandatory vasectomies. Let’s start a public conversation about men’s sex organs. Let’s legislate about that. Bet they would not like that at all. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Gee, UAW… I guess I really can’t explain it… There’s just something that “irritates” me about someone’s leaving a loaded gun (or a gun and accessible ammunition) where a kid who’s pissed off about a neighbor’s puppy can get his hands on it… Sometimes I just can’t muster quite enough “understanding” and “sympathy” for mindless irresponsibility, especially when someone completely innocent dies because of it… I’m just weird like that.

Nor, come to think of it, can I muster much of that “understanding” and “sympathy” for people who get their knickers in a twist when they think that someone is “politicizing” gun regulation. Our laws ARE “political,” fer chrissakes. God doesn’t give a damn about anyone’s distorted belief in their “right to bear arms.” None of that is “god-given” – it is human-made, human-interpreted, and it can be human-changed. Period.

still don’t know why you are so full of hate.
but I will agree that the parents should have acted more responsible. Kid probably needed to be beaten…whoops….attitude adjusted….. Reports are that he was a bully. Probably figured that he wouldn’t be held responsible for his actions.

Stupid subject, again, and all convoluted with emotion to control the thoughtless Sheeple….people.
The use of prescribed and illegal chemicals, which is what I mentioned some months ago on this blog ….in our environment, is causing this insurgent upheaval in our society, with mass shootings, and is targeting and also using them to kill our own, while the corporate agendas are played out, in order to finally take many of our last right away, by calling Marshall Law, and our Sovereignty, and right rights to bears arms, as well! They are using our children, as weapons against us, today.
Chemicals gaining acceptance from the FDA, from 1977 to 2010… increased from 60,000 in 1977… to 80,000 in 2010.
While these numbers have increased, the numbers of mass shootings…especially with children..young males, have increased, as well!
The brain in children, is very influenced and affected, especially in young males ingesting drugs…the majority are under doctors care and using prescribed anti- depressants and anti-psychotics.
With that being apparent, YOU will NEVER hear drug and chemical companies taking ANY responsibility….EVER!
The chemical/drug companies should be sued and called to cease the use of these brain toxins, on ALL people, especially on our children! We are suppose to protect our children. Why is someone not doing something on their behalf ? Instead of shooting them down…after allowing outside sources to control their minds?

If you could were able to grasp an entire sentence all at once you would have noted that I referred to a “parent’s legally-owned shotgun,” and not the child’s. And, as I also said, we do not know whether the gun was legally-owned or not. What IS apparent is that the gun-owner, whether “legal” or not, was obviously not responsible enough to make sure that the weapon – and ammunition – were kept out of the hands of children.

I would think, in a situation like this, that you “responsible” gun-owners (all you uber-manly hunter-gutter-skinner types, and so on) would be outraged enough about THAT level of irresponsibility on the part of one of your own, that we “whining liberals” wouldn’t have to say a word. Apparently, the parent(s) involved would carry no blame whatsoever here, if we whiners would just keep our mouths shut. (As Bush III said about school shootings, “Stuff happens”…) Doesn’t it just…

Unfortunately, “stupidity, “negligence,” and “gross irresponsibility” are not classified as mental illnesses… You can thank your lucky stars for THAT fact, pal…

Yes Terry
I do enjoy playing hunter…..it’s just a different type grocery shopping(and harder work)
I also gut -cut up- and package what I’ve shot.
I’ve also smoked my own farm butchered bacon and sausage.

So Scott Walker ran out of money….doesn’t mean he wasn’t the best choice.
and how’s Hillary doing??????Hiding some more e-mail maybe!!!!!!
and the other choice is Biden!!!!! — making Gerald Ford look good

HAHAHA…good one Gato(asshat)
I said legal owner….are you saying that the 11 yr old was the legal owner??????Yes it was a tragedy,I won’t argue that. Will the parents be run through some more hell by do-good liberals later—-Probably. They’ll want to turn this tragedy into a crime.

Why don’t you and the other liberals here start questioning WHY the DRs aren’t notifying the BATF when they start passing out some drugs(lithium based?)….Check out other factors in mass shootings.
MAYBE the HIPAA rules need to be changed?????
Maybe some of those psychiatrists need to be jailed for manslaughter.

It’s already a law that you cannot buy a gun if your a mental defective(gun control act of 1968)

Jesus, UAW, are you really that stupid?!??! I guess those little kids Gato referenced were ‘liberals” trying to create more government regulations. We had better gun laws years ago, and there weren’t as many mass shootings. For example, the assault weapons ban which the GOP refused to extend. What citizen in this country needs an assault rifle? It’s a rhetorical question, no answer from you is requiared. According to morons like you, we should do nothing because you enjoy playing hunter or you’re so afraid of your own shadow that you need numerous weapons to make you feel safe. How selfish can you be? And really, you are a disgrace to your so-called “name.” By the way, how’s your candidate for pres., Scott Walker doing? Nice pick.

Well… There’s that eleven-year-old (ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD) Tennessee kid who evidently killed his eight-year-old neighbor over her alleged refusal to let him see her new puppy… A parent’s lawfully-owned shotgun? We don’t know yet. But the kid got his hands on a shotgun, and it was loaded… Eleven years old… And possibly going to be tried as an “adult”… And, while somebody is thinking about that, this eleven-year-old kid is going to sit in jail until the end of this month. And an eight-year-old is dead.

How’s that workin’ for you, huh? Just another “necessary sacrifice” to preserve our “Second Amendment rights”…? So long as our god-given, all-American rights to puppy visitation are preserved, no problemo. That’s exactly what our founders had in mind, isn’t it?

Helen….That was just fucken Stupid….Someone needed to say it and I guess I got elected…
there’s been federal laws since 1968 to keep guns out of criminal and mentally ill peoples hands . enforce those laws….but when communities decide to not follow the law(think of sanctuary cities) , shit happens. Why are HIPA rules more important. Liberals are causing problems so that they can come up with some more Bullshit govermental regulations. follow the ones that are there first and don”t plea bargin them away…….follow the laws we have!!!!!! Fu$k%n Asshats

[…] Helen has a way of saying all the right things in an awesome way. Here’s yet another great post. https://margaretandhelen.com/2015/10/02/i-am-pretty-sure-republicans-would-be-fine-with-abortion-if-a… […]

Thanks again Helen/Margaret for sharing more of your smart yet painful insights into the Repugnants’ methods and motivations…
I may well be naive and fixated but it seems to me that the only response from the electorate that could change anything, to the degree necessary, is public campaign finance reform. We’re a species that requires regulation…bottom line. If we take big money and its influence out of politics then the corruption (to a large extent) will follow. The rewards that attract politicians to ‘public’ service would then be far less and we’d (hopefully) attract candidates willing to represent and legislate for the best interests of us all…not just the (monied/powerful) 1%.
Lawrence Lessig, (google him if you haven’t heard of him…the Democrats, at this point, are shutting him out of the debates, hmmm) and Bernie Sanders, to a lesser degree, are the only candidates supporting public campaign finance reform. Hillary supports it as well but in a more piecemeal and far less emphatic way.
Please forgive my wordiness but gun control, divisive politics, voting rights, immigration, etc. are all symptoms/issues that stem from the financial corruption of our government. Piecemeal approaches such as repealing Citizens United will help but won’t be enough to ‘fix’ this serious problem which existed well before the Supremes became less exalted by ruling that corporations were people.
Get the word out….open up the Democratic Party debates to Lawrence Lessig and help bring this fundamental issue to the forefront of our campaign season!!!!

Thanks, Pi – Great article. Actually, the whole site looks interesting, since I think there’s an inextricable connection between economics and everything else in a culture – impossible as I would have thought that ten years ago!

We seem to be just beginning to realize the real costs of those “externalities” – everything from catastrophic oil spills to minor earthquakes near fracking sites to air pollution to leaks in steaming lakes of swine excrement… And on and on and on. That supported abandonment of individual and corporate responsibility for any consequences of their activities, combined with the general “buy-now-pay-later” attitude that so greases our capitalist engine, are a deadly combination.

Hearing people talk, yet again, with all the best intentions, about all the measures they feel are needed to “prepare” the public for possible shooter invasions in schools, places of worship, movie theaters, shopping malls – training, locks, barriers, perimeters, cameras, personnel, medical services, and so on – seems to me somewhat misplaced. THE “PROBLEM” IS THE ABSOLUTE REFUSAL OF OUR GOVERNMENT TO REGULATE GUNS – AND REFLECT THEIR REAL “COST” – IN ANY WAY REMOTELY REFLECTING THE REALITY OF THEIR EXISTENCE. And, according to the stats you reference, the vast majority of Americans, gun owners or not, feel exactly the same way.

If the gun manufacturers could make enough egregious profit through licensing and registering their products, you can be damned sure they’d be behind it 150% and act like they’ve never heard of the Second Amendment, however inaccurately they insist on interpreting it.

If we’re going to uphold the glories of capitalism, then things should “cost” what they actually cost, in the making, use, and disposal of them. Period. If not, WE, the American people, continue to provide essentially a “welfare state” for every fat cat corporation that “takes” our resources, our infrastructure, our labor, and – virtually – OUR LIVES, and the LIVES OF OUR CHILDREN in order to support their “work” – without their having to give the slightest damn of the real costs.

When a “third world economy” tries this s**t, those very corporations are the first to cry “Communism!!” and “Human exploitation!”… When they do it here, they call it “entrepreneurship” and “job creation”… And we’re told we’re unpatriotic if we don’t love them for it…

The logic is excellent. Personally I own guns but they are for hunting and target shooting. How you keep guns or other dangerous weapons from the criminally insane is beyond me. but I do love the pic of the way to keep Rep. out of the private lives of women. It always amazes me how willing people (mostly men) are to tell women how to handle the most private aspects of their lives.

Gato- this is more readablethan the actual studies, of which there are plenty, about the external ( social costs) of gun problems.
I come from a part of the country where almost everyone has a gun because they hunt , of necessity not sport< for food. For now- an old set of notions of responsible ownership prevails in my patch. I do not think it exists much of anywhere else anymore- especailly all the places folks arm themselves for other than hunting purposes.

It is well past time to adjust for the costs society incurs for folks to arm themselves and charge fees/insurance/whatever to gun owners as well as to demand real federal background checks and waiting periods- from a database which is solid instead of piece-meal.
I don't give a damn whether people have guns, but I do care that they understand and behave as if they are part of a community instead of all the phony everyone-is-an-island crap too many spew in their lil fake-o libertarian haze.

“evil person would attack with an axe, a knife, or a machette. Going into a classroom, an evil person could hack at 20 to 30 people and cause a lot of death and injury.”
Yes! The voice (keyboard) of reason! the only thing that stops a bad guy with a semi-automatic rifle is a good guy running around with a pointy stick!!
When pointy sticks are outlawed, only outlaws will have pointy sticks!!
You can have my pointy stick when you pry it from my cold dead hand!!
It’s the black paint that makes a pointy stick Evillll!!
Moron Lube, comrade patriot!!

That is so true, but I can report that Cecile Richards kept her cool, composure and wits through 5 hours of hostile congressional hearings and in the end congress caved and passed a (temporary) budget with the funding for Planned Parenthood intact. Planned Parenthood has the support of the majority of all voters (including Republicans).

These Republicans are out of their gun-toting minds. I think women hold the key to this. We must organize and outwit the nitwits. Women cared about drunk driving and MADD made them change the laws. So, women also care about their children. They need to get mad and donate to any of the groups out there that are fighting the NRA. It’s so far past time, it’s embarrassing to be called a U.S. citizen.

Are you all aware that this is the second shooting in that district. The first was at a school and the Sheriff that announced that he would not say the name of the shooter in this spree because he doesn’t deserve to be remembered, is the same Sheriff who wrote a letter to VP Biden after the earlier school shooting ranting about the Presidents call for more gun legislation and he told the VP he would not enforce any new laws from the Administration that contained gun legislation. Wonder if he is having second thought about that verbal scolding he sent off to the VP.

Right on, Cynthia! It HTG couldn’t be stated any more simply and sanely than what you wrote. All the rest is paranoid crap, period. (Having said that, and meaning it, I hope you’ll forgive me for blathering on…)

Nobody seems to have any problem with licensing drivers OR with taking away someone’s right to drive if their vehicles are unlicensed, unregistered, or if he or she is unbalanced, intoxicated, impaired in some other way, commits a crime – or even doesn’t pay the required taxes! And, yes, you have to have your license with you every second you’re at the wheel of that car.

And why, now that I think about it, isn’t there a “property tax” on GUNS – and ammunition??!! And the more you own (registered and licensed, of course), the more you pay… Somebody wants to stockpile a personal arsenal? Fine. One gun: $25/year. Two guns: $50/year. Three guns: $150/year. Four: $450/year. And so on… Same with ammo. You want to show how “responsible” you are as a gun owner? Amass as many as you want; nobody’s going to stop you. Just register them, get yourself licensed to use them properly, and PAY FOR THEM! That’s the American way, isn’t it?

Obama’s rage was palpable at his press conference, and completely justified. It must just drive him crazy to have to put up with this senseless carnage time and time again from one of our “fellow citizens” – as it does most of the rest of us.

Yes, of course mental illness is a problem, and there are criminals in this world – but the single thing that allows them to be insanely deadly is THE POSSESSION OF A GUN. There is really no other way to kill ten people, and injure twenty more, in the space of ten minutes. Period.

What a great post. The world has gone completely mad. None of it will matter soon, of course, because we’ll have killed the planet. Until then, we keep challenging the twisted thinking of those who can’t see beyond their fear.

I am sick to death of hearing that “if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.” If Cabela’s and other large vendors were required to wait until background checks come back (even if longer than the requisite 3 days) and then deny the sale if there is a reason for concern; if individual sales were required to be documented and law enforcement had the means to arrest and prosecute sellers and buyers who didn’t abide by the requirements; if people buying weapons for others were monitored as closely as people potentially buying alcohol for unauthorized individuals — then we could at least reduce some of this violence.

I’m also sick of the whining about “[name the Liberal Target of the Moment] is going to take your guns.” I’m not advocating taking away your guns — unless you own them illegally. If they’re unregistered, if you’re unlicensed to carry them, if you don’t have the appropriate documentation on you at all times that your gun is also with you, then hell, yes. Hand it over and go directly to jail. You’re breaking the law and you’re endangering lives — person-you’re-pissed-off-at life, innocent-bystander life, that person’s dog’s life.

Gun ownership must be monitored and regulated just like vehicle ownership. Gun operations must be monitored and regulated just like vehicle operations. We can’t throw up our hands and say the NRA has won; they’re clowns at this point, and we can and we must keep fighting back.

This post makes SO much sense!! I loved this comment by E. A. Blair: If women used guns to defend their reproductive rights, you can be absolutely sure that Republicans would be the first to call for stricter gun laws.

Thank you Helen,
I’m right there with you the president and the rest of the common sense world. So sick and damn tired of these weekly, or almost daily attacks. My heart just bleeds for the parents of every single one of the young men and women killed by these home grown terrorists! There are so many things we COULD do to avoid these tragedy’s, but of course our hands are tied because of a few Republicans with their hands in the NRA cookie jar.
Life means nothing to these “people” only money, money and power. The NRA is a despicable, corporate power and should be taken down.
Time to stop praying for something to be done and start DOING something!
Australia had the right idea, are we not at least as smart and strong as the Australian Government?

Liz, Thanks for the link to the Washington Post article on the Nats. The. Mets announcers were saying that this bad blood with the Nats had been going on almost all season. They alluded to someone earlier indicating to a baseball writer that he would give him the story but not until after the Nats were finished playing for the season. I am sure Papelbon’s days with the Nats are done and I am not sure who else would want him. The Mets have certainly “let down ” since they clinched the NL East. I am not sure if any of these last 3 games between the Mets and the Nats will take place or not with the inclement weather up and down the east coast. It could determine who gets home field advantage during the Mets/Dodgers NLCS series. We head to NH next Thursday to pick out finishes for the condo. Since Shea & Dan will be away, we are going to stay at their apt. in Portsmouth until Sunday. Unfortunately, they have a very limited cable which doesn’t include TBS which is the station carrying the NLCS. I will be looking for a sports bar!!

Well the good news on Nancy is they did a biopsy on Monday and the small cyst near her gallbladder is benign! We are all breathing a sigh of relief. She has an appt. with the surgeon on Monday.

It has been a busy week at HHS. I have worked 4 out of 5 days! I am ready for a lazy rainy weekend. Carol

Wow! I agree, with one qualification: no one is asking for a total ban on guns, just a commonsense approach to obtaining them. Enforcing gun registration with background checks is definitely necessary. In addition, as a panel of psychiatric specialists has concluded, the extreme media attention to the perpetrator of such crimes, with photos and publishing of the list of ‘complaints,’ leads to more and more ‘copycat’ mass shootings.

The NRA told us that if college students could carry concealed handguns on campus, there would be less of these shootings. Guess what? Oregon allows concealed weapons on college campuses. See how well that works? Sensible gun laws? Easy. Universal background checks applied universally. Waiting periods applied everywhere including gun shows. Carrying without a license equals jail time. Education and training required to get the license. Assault rifles regulated more heavily than non assault weapons. Huge restrictions on armor piercing bullets. Common sense gun laws? We do it with god damn firecrackers. But then again I’m responding to morons so…

It amazes me how republicans are always talking about smaller government and getting government out of peoples lives and then they spin right around and impose their narrow-minded views in peoples most private choices. It doesn’t bother them at all that innocent people are killed every day in this country by gun toting idiots. I knew when nothing changed after all those young children were murdered in Sandyhook that nothing would ever change.

Margaret’s op ed was about the contradiction of conservatives valuing control over female reproductive organs more than guns. It is about the hypocrisy of valuing life in one case and not in another. Make sure you can read and comprehend before you attempt to start an argument.

People need to remember one thing…Evil people do exist. If the evil person sets a goal of doing evil things, a handgun is only a handy tool. If there were no handguns, the evil person would attack with an axe, a knife, or a machette. Going into a classroom, an evil person could hack at 20 to 30 people and cause a lot of death and injury.

Would some of you very smart, forward thinking individuals out there please outline a new gun law for me superseding all present gun laws that would prevent all animosity of thought and prejudice towards all people of all races and religion. Come on, you can do it … otherwise shut your traps and read the cruel world like it is.

Would some of you very smart, forward thinking individuals out there please outline a new gun law for me superseding all present gun laws that would prevent all animosity of thought and prejudice towards all people of all races and religion. Come on, you can do it … otherwise shut your traps and read the cruel world like it is.

Margaret, you are a part of my network that taps into the wisdom of women. Trite and silly as that might sound, it is your cranky, apt irreverance that I most enjoy. And I cannot EVEN watch DWTS this season. Bindy Irwin? Really? I hardly thought anyone could be more annoying than her father yet she is continuing the tradition. I go to bed early and read on Monday nights this season. Enjoy the Internet trolls. They are part of your entertainment package.

Well said, as usual. I’m writing to my congresswoman and senator, but I have no hope than anything will change. The NRA is holding this country hostage and the GOP is right there with them. Damn them all.

Thank you Helen for your words. They are exactly what I have been thinking. May I share them on my Facebook page? I know a lot of my friends feel the same way and I’m sure they would enjoy reading what you have to say.

Helen, I am fired up as well . Maybe if enough of us are fired up we can light our representatives in Congress to have the morals to pass gun legislation. They make so much money that we pay them. All they really care about is keeping the best job. One term means a great retirement. Keep up the good work! Laurie

Control, it is the ultimate goal for the Republican party at the cost to anyone in their path. Women must VOTE every election they can to eliminate the hateful men of ALL political parties who think they maintain control of a woman.

Nice to hear someone annoyed and still speaking sensibly……….annoyance is common today and sense is increasingly rare……..and of course the first is often present at Fox but the second almost never……….Go girl!

two things .. wait three things .. i think you are spot on as always .. i think that the Republicans wont ever pass anything close to gun control until one of their children is killed by a gun .. and lastly i think they dont have to worry about reelection because clearly their constituents are sheep who just blindly keep reelecting representatives who only listen to lobbyists